English Explanatory Dictionary

spook

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A ghost or phantom.
  2. A hobgoblin.
  3. A scare or fright.
  4. An undercover agent, spy, or intelligence analyst.
  5. A black person.
  6. A metaphysical manifestation; an artificial distinction or construct.
  7. A psychiatrist.
  8. A player who engages in hole carding by attempting to glimpse the dealer's hole card when the dealer checks under an ace or a 10 to see if a blackjack is present.
verb
  1. To frighten or make nervous (especially by startling).
  2. To become frightened (by something startling).
  3. To haunt.

Pronunciation

spo͞ok /spuːk/ En-au-spook.ogg /spʊk/

Word forms

spook spooks spooking spooked

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch spook (“ghost”), from Middle Dutch spooc (“spook, ghost”). Cognate with Middle Low German spôk, spûk (“apparition, ghost”), Middle High German gespük (“a haunting”), German Spuk, Danish spøge (“to haunt”), Swedish spöke (“ghost”).

Derived words

outspook spookable spookdom spooker spookery spookfest spookfish spookhouse spookiness spookish spookism spookist spookless Spooklight spookmaster spookological spookology spook out spookshow spooksome spookspeak spooktacular spooktastic spooky superspook suspook
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